The latest Jeff Samardzija MLB and fantasy baseball news

Fantasy Tip: With Chris Sale injured, Samardzija ($7,700, 15.4% of cap) was the obvious candidate for the opening day start for the Pale Hose. Even at a hefty FantasyScore salary, Samardzija is a strong option for daily lineups against a Kansas City Royals team that struggled to score runs in 2014.

Chicago White Sox SP Chris Sale (foot) will not take the mound on opening day, as the team looks to play it safe with him after he fractured a bone in his right foot at the start of spring training. Sale was supposed to be out of action for three weeks after suffering the injury unloading his truck Feb. 27, and he could return to on-field activities around March 21. SPs Jeff Samardzija or Jose Quintana could take the ball in the season opener April 6 against the Kansas City Royals. The White Sox are looking at April 12 as Sale's potential season debut.

Fantasy Tip: Despite Sale's spring injury, he remains in fantasy ace territory, and he'll basically be missing just one start, unless he suffers a setback when he returns to action in spring training. You could see Sale's price drop a tad in upcoming drafts. If that's the case, make sure to pounce on his newfound value.

Fantasy Tip: Samardzija is coming off of an excellent season in which he tallied a 2.99 ERA pitching for the Cubs and A's. He's a starting pitcher who teeters on the fringe of being an SP2 and should be drafted in the middle rounds.

Mark Rodgers, the agent for Chicago White Sox SP Jeff Samardzija, said he is willing to listen to contract extension offers for his client. "Obviously they really put in a lot of effort this offseason to make that club better," Rodgers said in an MLB Network Radio interview Sunday, Feb. 1. "And so out of due respect to (chairman) Mr. (Jerry) Reinsdorf and to (general manager) Rick Hahn, who's done a heck of a job, and (executive vice president) Kenny Williams, I told those guys, 'Any time you want to talk, I'll listen. Jeff and I will certainly talk.'"